


Take A Chance

by orphan_account



Category: Smosh
Genre: 800 Followers Giveaway, Alternate Universe - Police, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23325145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: after Det. Wes Johnson hooks up with his best friend and partner, Det. Joshua Ovenshire, he can’t help but worry about the future of their relationship, and how this will affect their work together.
Relationships: Wesley Johnson/Joshua Ovenshire
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Take A Chance

**Author's Note:**

> for @low-quality-gay on tumblr, who won a 1-2k fic in my 800 followers fic giveaway. i loved the police au prompt + had a lot of fun with it. i'd love to write a sequel/short follow up to this if anyone is interested. hope you enjoy :)

Walking into the precinct hasn’t brought Wes this much anxiety since his first day on the job. He hasn’t had a panic attack in years, but that familiar twisting in his stomach and racing heartbeat sent him back to when he was a freshman in high school.

He scolds himself for putting so much thought into it. He was a detective, he had taken down organized crime syndicates and drug rings, some of the worst criminals in all of the country, and he couldn’t even bear the thought of seeing his one-night stand at work?

The bullpen is nearly empty when he opens the door from the stairs, typical for this hour of the morning. The only sign of life was the shadow of Captain Raub through the blinds of his office. 

Wes settles into his desk chair and boots up his computer, skimming through his emails as the other officers enter the bullpen. In his peripheries, he notices the desk across from him remains empty as the usual eight am clock in time rolled around.

As Wes opens up his most recent case report, he sees a figure approaching his desk from the far side of the room. He keeps his eyes on the screen as they stop beside him, but Wes doesn’t need to look in order to see who it is. The arrogance radiates off of him.

“Good morning detective! Have a good weekend?” Damien practically shouts in Wes’s ear as he slaps him on the shoulder.

Wes slowly turns his head to Damien in order to muster a smile. “Detective? Why the formalities, _Lieutenant_?”

Damien’s contagious smile widens. “Don’t know. I’m just in a good mood I guess.”

Wes nods. “That’s great, man.” He says curtly, flicking his eyes back to the screen.

Damien looks like he expected something more from Wes, but he doesn’t continue. As great as Damien is to talk to, he doesn’t need his energy at this early in the morning.

“Alright man, see ya later.” Damien gives one last look to Wes to engage in any form of conversation. Wes just nods and gives a little wave as he backs away.

By the time lunch comes around, the desk across from Wes has been taken up. On any other day, the conversation between the two of them would be non-stop, but there is a striking silence in their corner that was deeply unnerving.

Wes can’t bear to look at him for fear he may look back. 

The very moment it became noon he books it across the bullpen to Mari’s desk.

She looks up at him from the book she was reading with an eyebrow raised. “Hey?”

Wes leans on her desk next to where her feet are resting and brushes his hair back, letting his hand slide down to rest on his neck. “Do you want to go out for lunch?”

Mari sits up from her slouched position. “I mean, I packed my own from home today-” She looks under her desk, letting the book rest on her lap.

Wes stands up quickly, his voice a little louder as he speaks. “Let’s go to that place on the corner.” She eyes him strangely for a moment, but Wes meets her gaze pleading, _I need to talk_.

Mari sighs, a small but knowing smile following. “Okay, yeah.” She stands from her chair and pulls on her leather jacket, walking side by side with Wes down the steps to the front of the precinct and onto the sidewalk.

They stroll together in silence for a block, Wes doing everything he can to keep his hands busy - rubbing his legs, shoving them in his pockets, swinging them in front of him like a child. 

Mari takes notice of this as they stop at the light, watching the cars zip by.

“What’s up with you?” She asks just as the little man signaling them to walk appears across the street and they step out into the crosswalk. “You look like you haven’t slept all weekend.”

Wes hesitates for a moment, sighing once they reach the opposite sidewalk and start down the block, the sign for Luigi’s in the distance. “I kind of didn’t…”

Mari’s voice is sharp as she turns to him, eyebrows furrowed. “What the hell, Wes? What happened?” She shakes her head, muttering something to herself. “You were on that stakeout with Joven on Friday, right?”

“Yeah…” He breathes.

“How did that go?”

They arrive at the door to the restaurant. It’s decently busy for such a small place, and Wes holds the door for a couple of men in suits as they leave. Mari slips in past him and he follows, the mouth-watering smell of fresh pizza and garlic knots making his stomach grumble impatiently. 

As they make their way to the back, he answers Mari’s question. “Good, good. We got the guy, brought him back to the station, and then we went out for drinks.”

Thankfully, their usual corner booth isn’t taken up. They slide into the seats across from each other, not even bothering to look at the menus.

“Sounds great.” Mari continues. “So... why haven’t you been sleeping?”

Wes raps his fingers on the table nervously. “Well, it’s what happened _after_ we got drinks.” 

“And...?” Mari pries, and Wes feels his face getting hot. As close as he is with Mari, he doesn’t talk to her about stuff like… this. Most of their conversations surround work and their mutual interests, but they agreed wordlessly not to talk about personal relationships.

Before Wes can fully implode, a young waitress arrives to take their usual order and bring two glasses of water. Wes takes a long sip before he continues, the twisting in his stomach from earlier returning with a vengeance.

“We ended up going back to his place and…” He trails off, too caught up in the memory of that night. He relives the feeling of Joven’s hand on his thigh in the cab ride back, his back slamming against the wall as he gets pinned in a kiss. He can see himself pushing Joven onto the couch and pulling off his shirt, wrapping his legs around himself as he moves them toward the bedroom, the door not even bothering to be closed behind them.

Mari looks at him quizzically for a moment as his eyes glaze over, a sudden jolt of realization shooting through her like lightning. 

“Oh my god, did you hook up?” Wes can feel his face growing red, hopefully covered up by the golden light from the overhead lamps. He nods and looks down at the table to avoid Mari’s gaze.

She laughs, clear as a bell, which surprises him enough to look up at her. “Jeez man, I get why you haven’t been sleeping. How could you live with yourself after hooking up with _Joven_?”

His mouth falls open in pretend shock, and he gently kicks her under the table. “Hey!”

“It’s a joke!” She laughs again. Wes softly chuckles with her, some of his stress alleviated by her jokes. 

Their waitress brings their pizza over, which brings the conversation to a peaceful halt for a few moments as they dig in. Wes indulges in the melting cheese and perfect crust, exactly why Luigi’s was his favorite pizza place in the city.

Mari places her slice down on her plate and wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Seriously though,” she says. “I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. You two have been in love with each other since we started here. David and I had a bet about when you would finally get together.”

Wes thinks about asking how much the bet was for, but decides against it, instead defending himself far too quickly.

“We’re not together! At least…” He falters. “I don’t know… I’m not sure. It was super weird the next morning and we haven’t talked at all since. I don’t know what to say. I don’t… know.” He admits. Mari’s jovial expression turns to sympathy, what David has called her ‘mom face.’

“Do you like him?” She asks gently. 

Wes raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, we’ve been best friends for the past four years.”

Mari shakes her head. “No, I mean do you _like_ him. Do you want to pursue a relationship with him, do you want to grow with him as a person?” 

Wes opens his mouth to respond but closes it instantly. A wave of uncertainty crashes over him as he asks himself the question over and over again in his head. 

Mari notices his hesitation. “It’s okay if you don’t know yet.” She says reassuringly.

Wes sighs in frustration, letting his head fall against the back of the seat. 

“I feel like a goddamn teenager with a stupid crush. I just need to get a hold of myself, I’m overreacting.”

“I don’t think you are.” Mari says sincerely. 

He brings his head back up to look at her. “...Really?”

“No.” She says. “I think you’re dealing with something that’s screwing with your routine and you don’t like it. I get it. When Pete and I got together, it was weird at first, because we were co-workers. But we talked about it and it’s worked out so far.”

“But that’s _you_.” He challenges. “You’re cool, you’re collected, you’re badass and smart. I’m…” Mari’s stone-like gaze stops him from listing his insecurities. 

“I’m sorry.” He sighs. “It’s just since… I’m not good at relationships. I want to be with someone, I want to grow old, start a family. But… every time I get into a relationship I fuck it up somehow. I get too attached, I’m away from home too much, I’m not enough for them. I thought I was done with relationships after I broke up with…” 

The hot sting of tears forming behinds his eyes stops him from continuing. He swallows the lump in his throat and blinks back the tears. Even if he was being vulnerable, he doesn’t need to be crying in a pizza restaurant during rush hour. 

Mari reaches her hand across the table and gently squeezes his reassuringly. “I understand. I can’t tell you that it will work out. I can’t promise you won’t have bad arguments or sleep on the couch some nights. I can’t even promise that he wants a relationship like that. But I know he likes you, you’re his best friend. He’s your best friend. You just have to talk it out with him, one-on-one.”

Wes takes a deep breath and nods. He squeezes Mari’s hand back gently. “You’re right. Nothing’s going to change if I don’t go for it.”

“Take a chance, Wes.” She smiles. “Live a little.” 

They laugh together at that and continue their meal, the conversation drifting to their cases and the latest video games that have come out.

After the check comes, Mari gets a devilish grin on her face. 

“I have one terrible question.” She says.

“Oh?” He asks.

She stares at him, smile wide. “How was it?”

It takes a moment for the question to sink in, but when it does, “Jesus Christ, Mari. You’re awful.” He jokes.

She laughs. “That’s what friends do, isn’t it? Now… how was it?”

Wes bites his lip, holding back his massive smile. “Really good.” He sighs.

Mari bursts into a fit of laughter loud enough to draw the attention of other customers. “Hell yeah! Get it, Johnson!”

Wes shooshes her and leans in to scold her. “Shut up, we are in a _restaurant_.”

“Don’t worry about it, nobody cares.” She says. She glances at her watch and looks at him. “We better head back to the precinct.”

After they pay and begin their walk back, a thought occurs to Wes.

“Hey,” He says, Mari turning her head to look up at him. “Don’t say anything about this to Raub. He’ll definitely make a big deal about it and I don’t need this going around the precinct.” 

“Yeah, duh.” She says. “Don’t worry about it, my lips are sealed.”

* * *

The end of the workday comes quickly after the weight of his stress has been lifted off his shoulders. He still doesn’t speak to Joven though, something about having a normal conversation without addressing the elephant in the room seems off to him.

He says goodbye to Captain Raub and makes his way downstairs to the sidewalk. He sees some of the uniformed officers walking off, laughing about something David had said. 

“Wes!” The sound of Joven’s voice stops him in his tracks for a moment, but he turns around to face him with a smile. He walks up to Wes, the little twinkle in his eyes making his heart flutter.

“Hey, Joven.” The second he opens his mouth, he can’t stop talking. “I’m sorry for being so weird all day, I just didn’t know what to say and I still don’t really know what to say-”

Before Wes even realizes, Joven is kissing him, his hand resting on the back of his neck. It takes a moment for the initial shock to wear off, but when it does, Joven is kissing him back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders so they come to rest on the small of his back.

The kiss is sweet and warm, different from the passionate, lustful ones they had shared days ago. Wes relished in the feeling, the warmth spreading through his body.

Joven pulls away first, his hand comes to rest on Wes’s cheek. “It’s alright, I was being weird too. Do you want to talk about it?” He looks at Wes with the most earnest expression, and Wes can feel his heart melt in his chest.

“Shank’s?” He asks. It was the same bar they had gone to last Friday, where all of this had started.

Joven smiled brightly. “Perfect.”


End file.
